Indonesia tries to lure Thais with twin campaigns
Indonesia is beckoning international tourists with dual campaigns, aiming at 200,000 visitors from Thailand this year.
Indonesia’s Tourism Ministry and Tourism & Culture Department are joining forces to promote the country as a prime destination in Asia and on the global map with a national campaign, Wonderful Indonesia, and a special campaign for the capital, Enjoy Jakarta.
The move is aimed at luring more international visitors ahead of the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.
Last year, 98,864 Thai tourists visited Indonesia, with Bali being the most popular destination, said Dodo Sudradjat, minister counsellor for information, social and cultural affairs at the Indonesian embassy in Bangkok.
He expects more than 200,000 Thais to travel to Indonesia this year. The number is expected to surge next year when the country hosts the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta from Aug 18 to Sept 2.
According to tourism statistics, Indonesia welcomed 2.5 million and 3 million international visitors in 2015 and 2016, respectively. The number is expected to reach 5 million in 2018. The top three destinations for tourists are Bali, Jakarta and Badam Island.
In turn, 469,125 Indonesian tourists visited Thailand in 2015 and 535,625 in 2016. The Tourism Department in Thailand said the number of visitors from Indonesia has continued to grow since the start of the year.
Jeje Nurjaman, secretary of the Tourism & Culture Department in Jakarta, said Indonesia aims for international tourists to reach nearly 20 million by 2020.
For Jakarta alone, the top five sources are mainland China, Malaysia, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.
Mr Nurjaman said the capital has its own tourism campaign called Enjoy Jakarta, introduced several years ago. The campaign is aimed at promoting major attractions to foreign tourists, ranging from historic sites to unique communities.
In order to woo more tourists, Jakarta’s tourism authority has invited media from Britain to experience local attractions. The city recently brought in tourism operators from Thailand and Abu Dhabi, and it plans to invite delegations from China, Japan, Singapore, Brunei and Australia.
In the coming year, tourism officials are determined to promote Indonesia to longhaul markets such as the US.
Jakarta is working on infrastructure projects such as three mass transit lines, one light rapid transport (LRT) system, roads, flyovers and underground tunnels. Several are scheduled for completion this year, ahead of the Asian Games.
Apart from promoting tourism attractions, Indonesia is touting special events like this month’s Jakarta Marathon, part of the Asean 50+ regional tourism campaign.